The Slow Path to Mars
by lovestimelords
Summary: Prompt from travelsinthetardis: AU prompt - Eight x Rose, first commercial passengers on a trip to the moon or mars (Eight is Rose's first doctor in this story)


Rose and the Doctor stood at the front of the line ahead of the rest of the passengers. Legitimate passengers who had actually paid for boarding passes. When boarding was announced, the Doctor flashed his psychic paper, pale blue eyes, and charming smile, "The Doctor and Mrs. Smith." Rose scowled and elbowed him in the side. "Sorry, she doesn't want anyone to know just yet," he apologized to the attendant.

"Doctor!" Rose interjected.

In a loud stage whisper, he told the attendant, "We've only just eloped."

"Congratulations," said the bored man. "Next."

Affronted, the Doctor huffed and put away his psychic paper and they followed the previous couple through the doorway.

"Serves you right," she grumbled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Making up that story about us having eloped."

"Oh but I disagree; it was fun watching you turn red." He was rewarded with a smack on the arm.

"Doctor," she said as they walked through the corridor.

"Yes?"

"You have the TARDIS."

He quirked his head at her, "indeed I do."

"So if we wanted to go to Mars, why didn't we just take the TARDIS?"

"Haven't I told you?"

She shook her head.

"History! This is the first commercial flight to Mars! We have to take the long way, of course; any other way would be cheating. It'll only take three days to get there and the trip itself is rather like a twentieth-century cruise. Lots of fun to be had. Yes, this is one time where we must take the slow path."

"And if we get into trouble on Mars or even on the way there?"

"Who said anything about trouble?"

She gave him a meaningful look.

"I'll have you know the TARDIS is safe in the cargo bay."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, "All right then."

After reaching the doors of the craft, they were shown to their room. Rose went in first and halted abruptly causing the Doctor to run into her back with an "oomph."

"But there's only one bed!" She whipped around and faced him, pointing her finger at him. "Now just a minute here, you go back and catch that flight attendant and tell her we need two beds," she demanded.

"I will do no such thing," he said stubbornly.

"Well, you're sleeping on the floor, then."

"That won't be necessary." He began to dig in his pockets, muttering to himself. "I know I've put it somewhere. Oh, I haven't seen that in a while, I mustn't forget which pocket it's in." For one bizarre moment, she almost believed he had somehow stuffed a bed into his frock coat. "Ah! Here it is!" He pulled out a ball of pink yarn and a pair of knitting needles. "I need to catch up on my knitting. You can continue your annoying habit of sleeping a third of your life away," he said with an air of superiority. And with that, he seated himself at the dressing table and began to knit.

"So your coat pockets are bigger on the inside too?"

"What good is a coat if it can't carry everything I might need?"

"Right. Er, well, I guess I'll just take a look around then," she said.

He hummed noncommittally, concentrating on detangling a rather large knot of yarn.

The suite was done up in tones of copper and gold. Aside from the dressing table and bed, there were a chest of drawers, two end tables with lamps, a door, and a window. All of it contained in a rectangle no bigger than the living area in her mum's flat.

She wandered around the room until she got to the window. The view of Earth from the ship docked at the space station took her back (forwards?) to the day the Sun swallowed up her home. She felt, more than heard, the engines gear up and was struck with a thought.

"Hang on, don't we need to be strapped in for take off?"

The clicks of knitting needles began in earnest. "No, not on this ship, it has an anti-inertia field in addition to simulated gravity."

"Oh yeah? So it won't be a bumpy ride?"

"I shouldn't think so," he replied.

"Maybe you should install one of those in the TARDIS," she teased.

"The TARDIS is meant to have six pilots, not just one," he grumped. "I do well enough. Oh, bother," he said after dropping several stitches.

She returned her attention to the window as the ship began to move. It was an odd sensation, not feeling the movement of the ship, it was more like watching a film. She had to admit that she was a bit excited and noticed a pamphlet on top of the chest of drawers. Interested, she took it and looked through the list of activities.

"Seems like most of the normal stuff you'd find on a cruise. Gambling, shows, three spas, a twenty-four-hour buffet. Blimey, here's something different, 'Antigravity Mini Golf - Try your hand at our revolutionary mini golf course with the gravity simulator turned off. Fun for all ages.' We've got to try that. How does that even work," she laughed.

The Doctor tucked away his knitting, stood, and offered her his arm, "Let's find out, shall we?"

Antigravity golf was just as absurd as it sounded. While Rose was adept at mini-golf back home, this course, designed for the antigravity, proved very difficult. She and the Doctor played against a couple from South Canada, Mo and Thumper, who had had much more experience in the sport. In fact, the added scores of their opponents was still lower than either hers or the Doctor's individual scores.

The left the course grinning ear to ear, hair sticking up wildly.

"Why'd you let me eat so much," Rose complained as they returned to the suite.

"I keep saying "don't wander off' and you still do. Whatever would make me believe that you would listen about food?"

She glared at him before taking out some night clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

When she came out an hour later, changed, in a fluffy robe, and hair wet, the Doctor was knitting again. She grabbed the pillow and put it at the foot of the bed and lay down. Her eyes were heavy, but she fought sleep. "What are you making?"

"Go to sleep, Rose, you're tired."

"I want to know what you're making."

"Shhh," he said gently, "I'll show you when it's done."

Too sleepy to argue, she closed her eyes and drifted off to the sound of the needles clicking together.

Two days later, they were almost to Mars. There had been a ship-wide announcement that disembarking would begin in twenty minutes. The ship was docked at the space station that had shuttles to the planet's surface. Packed and ready to go, Rose enjoyed the view of the red planet filling the window.

The Doctor cleared his throat. When she faced him, he was holding something pink and folded, looking nervous.

"I've finished it," he said. "I made it for you."

She instantly broke out into a room-brightening smile. She took the item, which was the softest knit she'd ever touched, and let it unfold. It was a cardigan. She put it on and the fit was perfect.

"I love it, thanks," she said and hugged the Doctor, who returned the embrace. She pecked him on the cheek and they parted.

There was an awkward silence before the intercom interrupted, "Cabins 100 through 149 will now exit at Portal A please. Thank you for choosing Carnival Interplanetary Cruise Lines."

"That's us," she stated.

"Funny how there was no, as you put it, 'trouble,'" he teased.

"Plenty of time for trouble," she replied, sticking out her tongue.

He took her hand and, while not able to run due to the crowd, they commenced their next adventure.


End file.
